


Maelstrom of Shadows

by dancibayo



Series: All was Golden when the Day met the Night [2]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M, Pre-Canon, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-19
Updated: 2020-11-19
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:28:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27632074
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dancibayo/pseuds/dancibayo
Summary: And it was that exact moment that a simple sentence would change the course of fate irrevocably.
Relationships: Nara Shikamaru/Uzumaki Naruto
Series: All was Golden when the Day met the Night [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2019752
Comments: 37
Kudos: 352





	Maelstrom of Shadows

Shikaku was home early for once, and was sitting on the engawa facing the thick forest that was just a few paces from the house. His toes were scrunched up in the vibrant grass while he reclined back on his palms, soaking up the sun. He was startled from his reverie by the front door being slid violently open. He almost leapt to his feet before he recognized his son's chakra signature and let out a soft breath of relief, before noticing how agitated the shadows around him were becoming. They seemed to be reaching in Shikamaru's general direction, like a black hole pulling everything towards it. 

He didn't have long to ponder why before the door to the engawa also slid open, but with much less force than the front door had. Shikaku turned to his son, surprised by the stormy expression upon the seven year old's face. His eyes widened when Shikamaru dragged a familiar blonde out with him to stand in front of his father. Naruto looked nervous and pale, biting his lips to prevent himself from uttering a single sound, and Shikaku once again felt bitter rage at the fact he was denied from helping his best friend's son by the council. He kept his face neutral, even though now that Shikamaru was outside the shadows had an easier time reaching him, creating an inky black blotch beneath his tiny feet. Shikaku decided to wait for his son to speak. He had a good idea of why Shikamaru would storm home with a boy he had never met before today, but would wait for confirmation. 

What seemed like several minutes passed while father and son stared at each other, and then:

"Dad, this is my soulmate, Naruto. Naruto, meet my dad." Shikamaru glared at Shikaku, as if daring him to deny it, but was surprised when instead he let out a bark of laughter. 

"Is he really? Well then, let's see it." He waved his hand in an obvious 'come hither' motion, fighting to keep his face from splitting into a grin. Shikamaru and Naruto exchanged a wary glance before cautiously approaching him, both extending their right arms, palms up so he could see the identical black words with metallic gold blotched randomly on them. Shikaku slowly lifted his hands, telegraphing his movements before gently taking each of their small hands in his. He didn't have to look long to see that they were completely identical, and was no longer able to stop his lip from pulling into a victorious smirk. 

He could tell his reaction surprised his son, and for a moment the shadows coalescing under Shikamaru quivered before dispersing. His son's small shoulders slumped in relief, and Shikaku could feel Shikamaru's hand tremble in his own, probably from the combination of the high he felt from the concentration of shadows and the adrenaline quickly leaving his system. Naruto's eyes darted between the two Nara, obviously waiting for something to happen.

And then, something did.

Shikamaru's sharp eyes focused on the blonde for a moment before turning back to Shikaku.

"Naruto doesn't have a lunch." 

The smile slid right off his face. Shikaku stared at his son, waiting for him to continue.

"Apparently Naruto _never_ has a lunch."

"Shika, it's okay-" 

"No, it's not okay Naruto. Not one bit." Shikamaru interrupted before turning back to his dad. "His apartment is trash. No hot water, only cup noodles to eat, and covered in graffiti-" Shikaku closed his eyes as his son's voice cracked with emotion "saying things like 'die demon fox'." 

He heard his little fawn sniffing, so he took a deep breath and opened his eyes. Shikamaru was roughly wiping tears from his face, holding on to Naruto's hand, who was staring at the wooden planks of the engawa, body trembling minutely.

"Dad, I'm not going to sit by while my soulmate suffers." He declared, looking at his dad with red rimmed swollen eyes. 

"You won't have to son. I promise." 

And it was that exact moment that a simple sentence would change the course of fate irrevocably. Shikaku opened his arms in time to catch his son, who was once again crying, the relief he felt was palpable. The Head of the Nara clan looked over his son's shoulder and saw his best friend's son staring at him, eyes widened with surprise and a cautious hope. It was then that Shikaku decided that the seemingly apathetic Nara would show just how volatile a maelstrom of shadows could be.


End file.
